A child sat underneath the branches of a tree that had long since died. Its bark was grey and gnarled, sadly reflecting the stray strands of silver light. It seemed to hug the young child who sat there and muffled his weak cries. Tears rolled down the boy's face in a steady stream, and dropped from his small round face, and landed on the black dirt that seemed to stretch endlessly around him. The liquid vanished the second it touched the ground, almost as if it was parched and desperately needed to be watered.

'Where am I?' The thoughts crossed the child's mind as his eyes quickly darted around. His vision blurred slightly from the water coursing down his cheeks, but all he could see were rays of silver basking the barren landscape in a scary light.

The young boy plied his mind for what felt like ages as he tried to remember what had happened, yet he came short. All that was there was a darkness that seemed to eat away his memories. All that he could remember was bright flashes of light and screams, but even now, it all seemed to fade away. So why was he so scared? At this point, the young boy didn't know why, but the tears kept coming, and nothing he could do seemed to stop them.

"Why are you crying?" A sweet voice rang through the still air. One that could be no older than him, though he seemed to have forgotten how old he was now. But he didn't lift his head to meet it. No, instead, he stared at the ground, watching as his tears were swallowed by the dirt.

"I don't know. I forgot, but I can't stop." His voice was fading as quickly as his memories were. His once pale skin was losing what luster is had and was changing into a faint grey, much like the rays of light that graced his minor form.

A thoughtful hum filled the air, enough to draw his attention toward the voice. There he saw a child, much like himself, staring at him. She had hair that was as dark as ink that danced on the dead air. Her face was perfect, without a single blemish, and glowed with an otherworldly light. A grin was plastered on her face, but not one that struck fear within the child. No, this was warm and welcoming and seemed to pull him in, and the sadness that had gripped his heart fell away. Yet, he was still uneasy as he stared at her, as her eyes were as dark as the shadows that were spreading in his mind.

"Who are you?" The boy stammered out as he sat there, entranced by the child he was staring at. Her black dress twisted and churned, and tiny droplets of black liquid dripped and sizzled as they touched the dirt.

"I have no name, much like you. I'm just a reflection of what was." She leaned forward, clasped her hands behind her back, and regarded the child with a soft gaze. "You are welcome to give me a name if you like." Her voice rolled out of her lips in a slow and measured cadence, as if every word she spoke was carefully chosen.

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The boy's eyes glanced at her, and his mind churned. Yet the darkness was taking more from him with each passing second. "I'm not sure." He grew quieter as his mind wandered. With each heart beat that passed, he found it harder to focus on what was. "What's wrong with me?" The child asked as he forced himself to focus.

"You are turning into a whisper. It's such a sad sight to see a child fading." The girl smirked as she straightened herself out. "But if you would like, we can make a deal so you don't fade away."

"A..deal?" The child glanced up at the strange girl, and his vision blurred once more. He didn't know how long he has been here. Was it days? Months? Years? The memories slipped past him as if he were floating down a river.

"Yes, a deal. I will send your body back to the realm of the living. I will grant you a new life and a new purpose, but in return, I only ask a few things." She grinned again and leaned forward once more. Her black eyes glimmered softly in the silver light as the words rolled from her tongue.

The boy perked up slightly as she spoke. He was fully ready to give her whatever she wanted if it meant he could live. Yet her words struck a chord of fear in him. What could she possibly want from him?

"One, for expending the last of my remaining power, I ask that you take me as your vessel and become a hunter in the future." Her eyes remained locked onto the boy, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out what she truly wanted. Though the word hunter seemed to stroke a memory. What were they again? He pondered the thought as he glanced back up at her face. "Why do you want to become my vessel?" As the words left his mouth, he found a faint memory of what a vessel was. It was a weapon made for a hunter. But he couldn't seem to remember what a hunter was.

"I have been trapped in this place for some time, and I want out. That's all there is to it." She tilted her head slightly, and her pale flesh glimmered slightly in the silver ray of light. At this moment, the boy knew he was staring at the face of a monster. Yet he also knew this was his chance to live again.

"What more do you want?" The child's heartbeat once more at the prospect of living once more. His chance was growing, and he didn't want it to slip away like he was.

"Well, let me name you, and when the day comes for you to summon me, you can name me. That is all I want. Do we have a deal?" The nameless girl reached out a slender hand toward the boy, who thought about her offer as thoroughly as he could. Yet, his memory was fading, and he had no real reason to not trust the girl.

It took a few seconds for the boy to take the deal. Was it bad? He didn't know. His mind was far too scattered to make any sort of cohesive thought. All he could do now was take her hand and the deal and hope that nothing bad could happen. Though he couldn't seem to care. All that was there was the desire to live. In a heartbeat, he reached out and took the girl's hand, and as they shook, she murmured something so quiet that he could hardly remember as the darkness finally took him.